His Damsel In Distress
by kirbykirbz
Summary: Based on the romantic connection between Daphne and Fred in the first movie, the love that they shared but never discussed. Better and more detailed summary at the start of Chapter 1. Enjoy!
1. He Knew He Was Her Favourite

**I remember watching Scooby Doo and always wanting Fred and Daphne to get together, they were the cutest! Some of the story will have dialogue included from the actual movie; some will be my own written additions, some will be retelling the movie but with added thoughts and depth from Daphne and Fred, and some extra scenes. Enjoy! Oh and if you like it review it, and if you don't like it review it too, because your feedback is uber doober important to me as a writer of fanfiction. Happy reading!**

It was their third mystery to solve in a month, there was no doubt about it, the Mystery Inc. crew were in high demand. It was the third time in a month that the brainy brunette Velma Dinkley formulated a plan to conquer the supposedly supernatural. It was the third time that the handsome leader Fred Jones tried to carry out Velma's plan successfully, and managed to find a reflective surface to check on his hair. It was the third time that the green shirted goofball Shaggy Rogers and his best pal and dog Scooby Doo managed to bumble up the whole process one way or another. They were out to catch the floating white Luna Ghost, whom they followed to the Wow-O toy factory on one of the darkest nights the gang had ever experienced. They wanted to capture the Luna Ghost because he held something that was very precious to them. For the third time in a month, Mystery Inc.'s fourth member, the beautiful purple clad Daphne Blake had been kidnapped.

It wasn't her fault that she was often the damsel in distress; it was a fact that the majority of nut-jobs and criminals that the gang dealt with were men, and well, they were only human. She was stunning, and a constant prize for the spooks they were hunting. The Luna Ghost pushed through the glass, carrying Daphne under his inflated arm. The gang were always ready to save her though, it was just the way it worked. They had been friends since they all attended Coolsville High School together. Scooby and Shaggy both adored Daphne, she always looked after them and carried their favourite Scooby snacks. Velma appreciated having Daphne there, it was good to have another girl on the team. Velma knew that Daphne was always up for some girl talk if she ever needed it. And then there was Fred. He would rescue her a thousand times, he would face any ghoul or goblin for her. He would do anything for Daphne, because he was in love with her. From the moment he laid eyes on her as she strutted down the halls of Coolsville High he was smitten. Though he never brought it up to her, after all, talking was for wimps. And although he never discussed it with her, he knew that he was her favourite. Daphne kicked her legs, hoping to either kick the ghost with her vinyl purple boots or to wriggle free from the grip of her kidnapper. Daphne's green scarf hung loosely around her neck as she thought about the same thing she always thought about whilst she was being held hostage. _I am so over this damsel in distress nonsense._

And she was over it. The only good thing about being taken was she knew that eventually she would be rescued by her friends. She adored Shaggy and Scooby, they made her laugh whenever she was having a bad day. She admired Velma's intellect and always turned to her for advice. And then there was Fred. She knew that as soon as she got rescued by him, she would be safe. Her heart always pounded ten times faster when he rushed to see if she was okay. And although he was always teamed up with Velma, Daphne knew that Fred had a soft spot for his damsel in distress. "Fred! Velma! Can you guys hurry it up, this ghost keeps grabbing- Ow!" Velma's plan was put into place as the team prepared once again to save Daphne. It was all set into motion, Scooby and Shaggy would pop out of the barrel and surprise the Luna Ghost. Then Velma would activate the conveyor belt and dump an oil slick on the ground for the ghost to slip on, causing the ghost to fall. Fred would then spray the ghost with a high powered hose to keep him down and the bright white phantom would get caught under the net that Velma had set up. The plan was executed, but in a slightly different way. Velma was sprayed with the hose and fell from the high scaffolding she was standing on, caught by chains that wrapped around her orange socked ankles. Fred was trapped under the net, it messed up both his hair and his precious ascot. Funnily enough it was Shaggy and Scooby that took down the ghost using an improvised attack with their barrel and a skateboard. It was often their accidents that would save the day. The Luna Ghost, Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne were sent crashing into a large stack of Pamela Anderson dolls, buried beneath the hundreds of red plastic cases. Fred ran to turn off the machines, and then he and Velma sprinted to see whether the gang was okay. Fred's heart was running faster than he was, to check if his damsel in distress was alright. "Daphne? Are you okay?" Velma asked, worried. The redhead emerged from the mountainous plastic. Daphne, frustrated, removed the green scarf from her mouth and repeated her earlier thoughts. "I am so over this damsel in distress nonsense."


	2. Maybe I Quit

Suddenly their Mystery Machine, their team's van, burst into the factory with the sound of sirens following. Out of it stepped celebrity Pamela Anderson, followed by a band of teenage Fred fans. Fred was extremely good-looking, and boy did he know it. She embraced Fred, and thanked him for saving the factory. Fred, completely in his element, rapidly signed swooning teenage girls' autographs and Daphne watched on in a mixture of anger and jealousy. Velma also watched on with anger because she knew what was about to happen next. And just like always, Fred took credit for her plan. The media circus continued as they revealed the ghost to be an avid fan of Pamela. Mystery Inc., after the news interview, walked out of the factory not feeling any happier since they had entered.

Velma was still annoyed that Fred had made her plan out to be his. "Some plan," Daphne said agitated "The ghost pawed me for an hour and a half!" Fred, who was also frustrated, turned to her "Daph, look, it's not our fault you always get kidnapped." Daphne was shocked. And hurt. Was that all Fred viewed her as? This useless girl who was only good for getting herself caught? She hated when the gang was fighting, but she especially hated when Fred was angry at her. "I do not always get kidnapped," she said defensively, "I can't believe you'd say that to me." Fred saw the sadness in her eyes as she spoke those words, and instantly regretted what he said. Velma scoffed at Daphne, causing her to steal Velma's glasses. Daphne really disliked Velma sometimes. Velma was the smart one, and she always worked closely with Fred. Velma solved a majority of the mysteries, and she had a solid role in the group. Fred had a place, and so did Scooby Doo and Shaggy. But all Daphne seemed to be doing was bringing the group down. She considered quitting, and finding her own place in the world. And now seemed like the perfect time to do it. Fred gave Daphne a look of "is it really necessary?" when she pinched the thick rimmed black glasses from Velma. She always gave them back. Eventually.

Shaggy could see things were going to get ugly. He knew he was just the dude who carried the bags, but he saw himself as the one who made them laugh. He decided it was time to put the team's value in perspective using a mouth-watering ice-cream metaphor. But Velma had had enough. "I quit!" Daphne, Fred and Scooby all stared at her. "No way! You can't quit," cried Daphne, "I was going to quit in like two seconds and now everyone is going to totally think I copied off the smart girl." Daphne panicked, she didn't want the gang to split up. Surely Velma would change her mind? Fred jumped in "Now wait a minute, wait a minute!" Daphne smiled, Fred was going to step in and bring the group back together. "Maybe I quit." She looked at Fred, her eyes questioning if he was serious. He turned to Daphne. He wanted to be with her, but not like this. The gang was tearing them apart, and although it would break Daph's heart, he had to do what was right by him. "I do… Yeah I quit." Fred stormed off to his car. Velma headed to her car, pushing into Daphne as she went. Daphne knew what was coming; her eyes welled up with tears. "Good riddance" she said aloud, convincing herself that it was for the best. They had all gotten into their cars, leaving Shaggy and Scooby Doo the only ones left behind. The two lifelong pals clambered into the Mystery Van, they didn't quit.

Fred revved up his red sports car and in the rear view mirror saw Daphne's purple car, which reversed and sped off down the road. He knew first hand that "Danger Prone Daphne" wasn't the best driver. The Mystery Machine, after all did belong to her, but she decided it would be safer to put Shaggy in charge of it. Shaggy sure did goof up a lot but he took care of the gang's van. Daphne was twice as reckless when they were being chased, and thrice as reckless when she was in a bad mood. Fred kept watch on the car until it was out of sight. Upon exiting she had hit two signs and taken out her left side mirror. Fred considered his next move, and decided that he needed to tell Daphne how he felt. He lagged behind her, and stopped to fill up his prized car with fuel. He knew that he was stalling, but what he was about to tell Daphne made him more frightened then facing any ghost could.


	3. Broken His Promise, Broken Her Heart

Fred pulled up outside Daphne's house, and knew that it was now or never. Before Daphne moved out on to live on her own, she lived in the Blake family mansion. Her modest townhouse was no mansion, but it was her own and it was just the way she liked it. The house was decorated with pink and purple furniture; the walls were adorned with photos of Mystery Inc. and newspaper clippings celebrating their success. Fred could feel his pulse getting faster as he approached her front door. Suddenly a light came on from the side bedroom and a small sound could be heard. Fred slunk along the walls and peered in the window. It was Daphne's bedroom, containing a pink bed, desk, wardrobe, shelves, couch and even a purple computer. If it was pink and purple, she had it. Fred scanned the room before he saw Daphne sitting on the bed. She held a photo frame in both arms, holding it close to her chest. She let out a heart-wrenching sob that almost made Fred himself cry. She let out a deep sigh and proceeded to put the photo back in its rightful place on her bedside table. Fred hid behind the bushes as she did so, not wanting to be seen. Daphne went into her bathroom and got changed into a pink lace night-gown, and although her make-up was removed and her hair was a mess she still was the most gorgeous woman Fred had ever set eyes on. He had a chance to look at the photo, and it tore at his heart when he saw that it was a picture of the two of them that she was sadly embracing.

It was a picture of the two at crowning for King and Queen of Coolville High. They had gone together, "not romantically", they had tried to convince the rest of the gang. Fred wore a white suit with blue trimmings and a red ascot, a formal version of his signature look. He waited for Daphne to come gracefully down the marble stairs at the Blake mansion. He was chatting anxiously with her parents, and was stopped when he was a silhouette on the wall. On top of the stairs stood Daphne, her dress floor length and wonderfully purple. It was the first time he has seen Daphne with her hair up, as she walked down the stairs her earrings sparkled like stars and her white gloves made her look like royalty. She had made it to the last few stairs when she tripped on the back of her dress and lost her footing. Fred dove to catch her as she landed in his safely arms. "Thank you" she smiled. "I'll always catch you Daphne" he beamed back. He helped her stand up and took a step back. "You look beautiful Daph. You always look beautiful but tonight there's something different about you." She giggled "I'd hope so, it's prom. I wouldn't want to go looking like I did every day. You look amazing Fred." They had been voted the King and Queen, she was the coolest girl at Coolville high and Fred, well he was Fred, and he was bound to win. As they shared a spotlight dance, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for a wonderful night Daphne, I couldn't have asked for a better date. Not that it was a date date you know, but thanks for being my date."  
>"Please never leave me Fred" she blurted out. He looked at her, puzzled.<br>"Even when these high school days are over, please never leave me."

"I promise" said Fred aloud, repeating his reply, bringing himself back to current time. He looked through her window and saw she was asleep. He had made a promise and by quitting the gang he had broken his promise and broken her heart. She needed time to heal, and as much as he was dying to tell her how he felt he knew that he had to give her that. So he headed back to his car, making sure not to rev it this time, and drove slowly to his own home. Daphne woke the next morning not feeling any better than she had last night. She checked her answering machine, no missed calls from Fred or any other members of the gang. Not that they were a gang anymore. Daphne got out a bowl and some cereal, poured milk over the cereal and sat up at the bench. She decided that it would be best to talk it out… with herself. She often would speak out loud, to reassure herself. "So all Fred sees me as is this damsel in distress? That's what they all see me as. I wouldn't be if they would catch the spooks before they caught me." She stopped herself and realised how petty she sounded. "My opponent is my insecurity, it's not my-" She once again paused, her mouth filled with corn. Light bulb! "My opponent is my insecurity. If I wasn't such a princess I could seriously kick some bad guy butt!" Daphne got onto the net and searched for martial arts lessons. The Feng Fei Fury Martial Artistry Academy. Daphne clicked the link and read it over for a good half an hour. The camp was located 4 hours away from Coolsville. She closed her eyes and contemplated moving away. The gang were the only real friends she ever had. They wouldn't miss her when she was gone. Within 3 hours of applying for a place at the training dojo she was accepted. Daphne knew that it was time for her to leave Coolsville, and all the people in it. She reached for her phone and dialled the local realtor, she wanted to sell up and leave as soon as possible.

Daphne waited 48 hours before officially placing her house on the market. She consistently checked her emails and answering machine. But there was nothing. She was tired of waiting for an apology from Velma, or a sweet phone call from Fred. Shaggy called, to try and get the gang back together.  
>"Like come on Daph, Velma didn't mean it."<br>"Oh yeah? What about Fred? Sure sounded like he meant it."  
>"Aww yeah, but he'll come around. It was just like a really bad night man."<br>"Shaggy, I'm not coming back to Mystery Inc., and I doubt they will too" Daphne said bitterly.  
>"Oh, like you're sure?"<br>"Positive. You and Scooby take care of yourselves. Don't eat too many Scooby Snacks."  
>"Like will do Daph, maybe one day when this is all over we can all go back to being friends."<br>"Maybe. Goodbye Shaggy." She reflected on this phone call that she received. There was no way that the gang could ever reform. As Daphne started to pack up the contents of her house, she realised that she needed to fix herself and to get away from the cause of the damage.


	4. Being Her Own Hero

Fred had given it a week. Not once had he heard from Daphne. Or Velma. He did try ringing them both, and got no answer from either one. He tried to call Daphne three times every day after the week of silence, there was never a reply. He got a call from Shaggy, which left him feeling empty.  
>"Fred, like man, you don't want to join the gang again?"<br>"Why? Who has re-joined?"  
>"Uh.. Nobody yet. It's still just me and Scoob."<br>Fred laughed. "I need to take some time out Shag. Have you spoken to any of the others?"  
>"I rang Velma. Like no answer man. I rang Daph-"<br>"What did she say?" Fred interrupted.  
>"She was a total space cadet man, was like so far away man. She doesn't seem happy."<br>Fred was angry with himself, but also mad at her. She too had made a promise all those years ago and she did not keep hers. Fred closed his eyes as he reminisced about the night that she had made a promise to him at the prom.

"I promise" Fred smiled. Daphne hugged him tighter, like a child clutching its favourite teddy bear.  
>They moved slowly, enjoying every moment they had together. The music definitely forced them closer, the smooth saxophone awoke feelings of love inside them both. "Daph, you have to promise me something too."<br>She gazed up at him, staring straight into his shining eyes.  
>"Let's never lose touch, never leave me Daphne."<br>She saw the sincerity of his plea and kissed his cheek. "I promise."  
>The song had ended moments ago, and yet they were both still in their own world together. The music had changed from romantic to pop as the two were reunited with the rest of the gang. Velma was on the student committee, and was in charge of decorating. Shaggy has smuggled Scooby Doo in, pretending that Scooby was his date. They all took a group photo together at the end of the night, and they all got a copy. Shaggy and Scooby kept theirs in the glove box of the Mystery Machine. Velma scanned hers and made it her desktop background, keeping the real copy in a photo album. Daphne framed hers and hung it on the wall along with all of the other pictures of her and the gang. Fred kept his on the hallway table.<p>

Looking at his hallway table, he realised that he had allowed himself to zone out again. "Scoob, don't drink the ketchup dude! Fred, like where'd you go?"  
>"Sorry Shaggy. I gotta go." Fred hung up and grabbed his car keys. He sped down the road to where Daphne's house was and jumped out of the car equally fast. He went to knock on the large wooden door, and with one hit of his knuckles it swang wide open. Fred shrugged his shoulders and walked in to discover a familiar feeling. Emptiness, literal emptiness. All of Daphne's purple furniture was gone, the pictures that hung on the wall had vanished. He sprinted into her bedroom to discover nothing but white carpet and bland cream walls. "Excuse me, the open house doesn't start until eleven." Fred turned around to see a woman leaning against the door frame with a clip board in hand. Her name badge read Tara, her light green business suit ironed to perfection. "But you honey, can look at me all you want" she cooed after seeing the handsome man's face. Fred forced a smile, not wishing to be impolite. Deciding to ignore her attempts to flirt with him, Fred asked for the answer he didn't really want."What happened to the owner of this house?"<br>"She called me about a week and a half ago saying she wanted to sell. She moved out in a hurry. Said something about too many old ghosts." Fred nodded and knew that she hadn't just left the house, she had left Coolsville altogether. "Thank you" he said sadly, taking her business card that was forced upon him as he left.

It had been approximately two years that the group had been split. Daphne was now a black belt, and not just in fashion. She had learnt the ways of Chinese martial arts, and was sure that if she ever ran into trouble, she could make her way out of it. Arriving back at the quarters she lived in at the academy, she found a strange yellow envelope outside of her door. It was addressed to Daphne Blake, which was her. She tore it open with curiosity and found the following enclosed within.

_Daphne Blake,  
>I, Emile Mondavarious, request your assistance in solving a mystery here at Spooky Island amusement park. It is particularly hard to explain the situation I have found myself in, and I feel it would be of greater use for you to personally come to the island and witness this mystery yourself. Find attached an plane ticket for the 12<em>_th__ of May, your hotel room number and instructions. There is a $10000 wage if you can solve the case.  
>Until then, Emile Mondavarious.<em>

Daphne slumped against the door, and sank slowly to the ground. She had no intention of reuniting with the gang. She read over it and was surprised to saw that it only included her in the letter. They must be preoccupied with their own mysteries, thought Daphne. Unless Mr. Mondavarious had heard of her martial art success and decided that she was right for the job. She smiled and folded the envelope up, deciding that it was her turn to figure out who did the crime and being her own hero.


	5. A Dangerous Weapon

Fred thanked the cab driver and paid his fare. The airport was all hustle and bustle as people hurried to board their flights. He fumbled in his pocket for the ticket he needed. Fred had always wanted to travel to Spooky Island, not that he believed in monsters. He had received a letter requesting his detective skills, from a Mr… "What was his name again?" wondered Fred aloud, having trouble recalling the man's last name. He walked towards the designated terminal, putting his sunglasses into the pocket of his blue jacket. "Fred?"  
>"Velma?"<br>Walking next to him was in fact Velma. She donned the same orange clothes she had worn for years. Fred had always liked Velma, not in a romantic way, but in the sense that she was like his little sister. No matter how much he stuffed up her plans, she would always accept his apologies. They always worked quite closely together. Velma had always had feelings for Fred but knew that she would never be his type. They made small talk as they headed towards the gate. Fred was happy to promote his new book 'Fred on Fred: The Many Face Of Me', and Velma was slightly smug when she discussed her work with NASA so casually. "Charter service to Spooky Island will begin boarding momentarily" said the announcement system.

Daphne stood at the information desk, cross. She needed an explanation. "What do you mean I can't have seven carry-on bags? That is so economy."  
>"Daph?"<br>"Crap" groaned Velma.  
>She turned around and saw Fred and Velma standing there. They had stayed in contact, she thought, assuming the worst. Velma always wanted to be with Fred, and now with herself out of the picture it had probably happened. "Oh no" she said out loud. Annoyed at them both, especially Fred, she intended on snubbing them. "I'm not talking to you guys."<br>Fred grinned; she was still as adorable as ever. He counted in his head, waiting for her to break her vow of silence. "What the heck are you doing here?"  
>"Isn't it obvious? We all received the same letter from one Emile Mondavarious, the reclusive owner of Spooky Island" said Velma, looking at Fred. Fred turned to Daphne again; he could barely keep his eyes off of her. "Not fair" she whined, stomping her foot then striding over to them. "I was going to solve the mystery all by myself, for the first time ever!" Fred smirked, a cute smirk though. Her cute sudden outburst amused him. "How are you going to save yourself when you get caught?" She shot him a glare, obviously insulted by his question. It reminded her that he only saw her as helpless. "I'm a black belt now" she said matter-of-factly, "I've transformed my body into a dangerous weapon."<br>Fred chuckled whilst Velma made an amused snort. "It's true" she justified.  
>"Far out. I guess we're all like going to Spooky Island man" a familiar voice came from behind them.<br>Shaggy strolled in behind them, with Scooby Doo not too far behind. Because the airline did not allow big dogs on the plane, Scooby had put on a failed disguise to look like a grandma. "Nobody is stupid enough to believe that" chimed in Daphne.  
>"Who's the ugly old broad?" asked Fred dumbly.<br>Again, on came the announcer "flight 3774 to Spooky Island, now boarding."  
>"Listen, I wouldn't have agreed to come if I knew" Velma claimed.<br>Shaggy knew it was his chance to try and patch things up with the group. "Like wait, just think about it for one minute. Mystery Inc. reunites" Daphne rolled her eyes. "We'll be a team again, just like the old days" Shaggy continued "so come on gang. Let's do that thing where we all put our hands in, lift them up and go woohoohoo!"

Daphne looked sideways to Fred and Velma. She did admit to herself that she missed being a part of the gang. She didn't however want to be around Fred and Velma if they were together. "Only if Fred and Velma do it" she said, testing the pair. If they were both happy to join then they had forgiven and forgotten, and gotten together she concluded. Velma's eyes shifted to Fred, who studied the group carefully. He wanted to hang out with Shaggy again; he could even see himself befriending Velma again. His mind crossed to Daphne, who had left without a word of goodbye. And he knew that he could forgive her in an instant, but he needed to let her know that he was hurting. Fred knew he couldn't yet take on the role as leader. "People are watching Shag." He took off; Daphne too decided she wasn't interested in joining. They individually boarded the plane, Velma shortly after, leaving Scooby and Shaggy once again to be the only ones who stuck together. Daphne had to store all of her carry-ons in the overhead compartment, and saw that while she was doing that Velma had happily gone to sit next to Fred. Fred and her locked eyes for a minute, and then Daphne glared at Velma. His eyes followed her sight line. Oh no, he thought. He knew what Daphne would be thinking about him sitting with and arriving with Velma. He went to give her a look of reassurance but she had already taken her seat.


	6. It's Not All About Us

The flight had been long, but finally they had arrived at the fun-filled yet ominous Spooky Island amusement park. Fred and Velma got off the plane, catching up to Scooby and Shaggy. Where Daphne got off to was unknown to them. They made their way down the dock and heard the ramblings of a monsteresque robot. "Scooby Doo! And the rest of Mystery Inc.! Oh it's marvellous to see you." The robot flailed its arms wildly, hitting a random walking past. "Oh I'm so sorry" said the robot and from behind it popped an eccentric man. "Sorry, it's a new toy, I'm just sort of getting up to speed with it. Welcome!" Daphne had caught up, carrying all of her matching purple bags. "Thank goodness!" she breathed, "I was afraid I'd have to lug those up all the way to the hotel."  
>Ahh but that's what Spooky Island is all about" replied the man "realising your worst fears." He stared at Daphne, and he too thought she was attractive. "I'm Emile Mondavarious, the owner of this amusement park" he noted, shaking Daphne's hand. They all concluded that he was indeed less spooky than they had predicted. "So you're the one who brought us here" frowned Velma.<br>"No" he said plain-faced. "No, what brought you here was your insatiable appetite for a juicy mystery."

He made the signal for them to follow him as he walked. Daphne was delighted to see that the staff would take her bags. She carried one of her own bags and sped up to Mr. Mondavarious. "The truth is, Mr. Mondavarious, Mystery Inc. is broken up."  
>"Oh but that's the beauty of something that's broken, it can be fixed, and therein lies it's potential." Velma shoved her way to the front as Daphne looked out to the ocean. Maybe Fred and I could be fixed, she thought. Daphne disliked Velma now more than ever, since she had jumped in and taken Fred. Mr. Mondavarious proceeded to explain the dilemma he was in. The students arriving differed greatly to those departing. Fred and Daphne exchanged subtle glances; his eyes followed her body down to her shoes. She had changed her body into a dangerous weapon, she was the perfect woman. But then again, he always thought she was perfect. The students leaving Spooky Island looked so proper and well-behaved, displaying traits that they did not have when they arrived. "A magic spell" Mr. Mondavarious piped in. The gang watched in horror as one of the departing students, Carol, failed to recognise her childhood friend Brad. Fred and Velma recognised him from the plane. When he tried to explain who he was, Carol showed superhuman strength, lifting Brad up and tossing him aside like throwing a basketball. Brad got to his feet and scurried away. "I'm terrified" stated Mr. Mondavarious "and the young people who come off that barge, the people I love the most, they're in danger." Velma smiled "I'm gonna solve this one first." Fred shook his head. "Not before I solve it first." Daphne was still jealous, and hoped that she would be able to demonstrate her martial art moves. "You guys are going to look like total, total idiots when you're captured and I'm the one saving you!" The three of them ran off, excited to find their first lead.<p>

Daphne raced to her room and dumped her bag down; the staff tailed behind her and also put her luggage on the ground. "Thank-you" she said gratefully, reaching into her purple purse to pay them for their services. They refused the money, but did ask for an autograph. She happily signed their photos of her, and she returned to the lobby. Fred was busy downstairs chatting to a receptionist when he noticed the purple-clothed beauty. "Daph!" Startled, she started to walk to one of the rides. "Daph! Wait up!" Fred jogged to catch up with her. "Hey!" He stood in front on her and put both hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry if I insulted you at the airport Daph, me and Velma were just joking around." She looked down at the ground. "Yes, you and Velma."  
>"Velma and I aren't together Daph." A sweeping emotional wave of relief washed over Daphne, she knew that her assumptions could sometimes be irrational.<br>"It wouldn't matter if you were" she said through gritted teeth, incapable of hiding her relief. He laughed. "I've missed you baby."  
>She looked up to him, and smiled sweetly. A smile that made his heart melt.<br>"I've missed you too" she whispered softly, "but I meant what I said, I want to solve the mystery alone Freddy. After all, all I am to you is someone who always gets kidnapped." She shook his hands off her shoulders and walked towards one of the rollercoasters. "I didn't mean it Daph-"  
>"Then why did you say it?"<br>"I was angry."  
>"Angry at me?"<br>"Angry at everyone. It's all in the past now Daph, I needed some time away from it all."  
>She remained silent, not sure of what to say to that. Fred checked his watch, "sorry Daph, I told Mr. Mondavarious I'd meet him in the lobby in five. I've gotta go."<br>"Trust you to leave me" she said coldly.  
>Fred rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to crack the case Daphne, it's not all about us."<br>Daphne laughed. "Fred, there is no 'us'. Not anymore." She turned on heel and hurried away.  
>"Women!" he scoffed. Checking his watch again, he faced the other direction and headed towards the lobby. Daphne turned to watch him walk away. "Men!" she snorted.<p> 


	7. Save Yourself Fred, I Won't Need It

It was just starting to get dark out, the whole park had a newfound energy when nightlife was on offer. The place was filled with a lot of unruly college students, all different to the ones that were departing at the dock. The spooky tiki themed bar was abuzz with chatter, the man with the eye patch behind the bar happily doled out drinks as he overturned quite a profit. Daphne had entered the bar alone, and had been offered several drinks in the ten minutes she had been there. She didn't drink, or accept drinks from strangers. She didn't date either. She hadn't dated anyone since high school, well not including Fred. Her face saddened as she thought of it. She and Fred never officially went out, but she felt that they were some sort of thing. She shook the thoughts out of her head, it was all different now. Maybe she imagined it all along. Fred was always nice to everyone. And if she was so special why did he never mention his feelings? Daphne had no intention on working with the others. Fred had rejected her, Velma thought she was too smart and Shaggy and Scooby would only slow her down. Velma had already assigned herself to the Spookapalozza, a goldmine of clues. Shaggy was too preoccupied with his new friend Mary-Jane, the pretty blonde girl he had met on the plane. Daphne did a quick search around the docks to see if she could find any hints, but all she found was sand in her shoes. Tired from the plane ride, she decided to have a quick shower and then spring back into action.

Fred was in his hotel room, also lacking ideas of where to start looking. He paced around the coffee table, and suddenly heard a loud crash in the room next to him. He sprang to his feet, went to the next door down and kicked the door in. "Fred!" shrieked Daphne, who had grabbed the nearest piece of material to cover herself up. Fred reddened a little and shut the door. "I, um, I thought I heard a crash." She indicated to the lamp, which laid on the floor in several pieces. "You try getting out of purple boots without breaking something." He gave her another one of his cute smirks and kept staring at the woman before him. She had not changed in the slightest, she was still strikingly beautiful. "Fred, do you mind?" she said shocked, although he caught her smiling at the end of this sentence. He turned to face the other way as Daphne got changed into another purple dress. The silence was unbearable, and uncomfortable. "Where did you go Daphne?" queried Fred.  
>"I told you, I'm a black belt now."<br>"You'll still always be danger prone Daphne to me."  
>"I'm not like that anymore."<br>"Well I'm always here to save you Daph."  
>"Save yourself Fred, I won't need it. Not anymore."<br>And it was awkward again. Fred peeked through the fingers shielding his eyes. She was dressed now. "Why didn't you want to regroup at the airport?"  
>Fred shrugged. "We've all grown apart."<br>"Even though you promised we wouldn't."  
>"And you promised you wouldn't just up and leave."<br>She frowned slightly. That was unfair. He didn't call her, or come to see her. He didn't make an effort. "I'm here to solve a mystery, I'm not here to rekindle old relationships."  
>"Relationships?" he grinned cheekily.<br>"Friendships" she corrected bluntly. "I wish you all the luck solving the mystery Fred Jones. May the best man, in this case woman, win." Daphne had a tendency to get over-competitive sometimes.  
>"Good luck to you too then" Fred replied. She offered a small smile.<br>"Daphne, that night that we all split, I-"  
>"Fred, please don't." she interrupted. "I really don't care. It didn't upset me then, why would it bother me now?"<br>Lies. He had witnessed her tears less than an hour after the gang had split. "I have a mystery to solve." She sped out of the hotel, Fred watching from the hotel window.

Daphne had a new found sense of pride and determination, a new formed confidence that Fred had never seen before. A group of males formed around her, whistling and staring at her exposed cleavage. Fred scowled , he hated it when men viewed her as a sexual object. She looked around a bit before deciding to skip the mainstream and head down to the isolated shack on the beach. Fred's eyes followed her, but he was distracted by something else. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a castle looking building that stood on the hill. Spooky Island Castle. Fred looked out the window, she hadn't returned yet. But Fred had the feeling that he was no longer required to be her knight in shining armour. Leaving a small note for Daphne, Fred decided to go to the castle to see what sort of scoop he could dig up. 


	8. She Needed To Prove Herself

**Big big thanks to all who have reviewed and/or read my story so far. I'm not sure what I enjoy more, writing my own Fraphne scenes or watching the movie again to pick up the adorable Fred/Daphne moments! Don't know why, but I always pictured Velma having a thing for Fred. So I've put that in here. Don't hate me Frelma lovers, I make it a gentle let down from Fred. After all, this is a Fraphne fic. Well enough rambling… on with the story!**

Daphne headed back from the beach, hurrying away from the creepy voodoo man she had met. He had revealed the Spooky Island castle, where he may or may not have wanted her to go to. Daphne shivered slightly. Was it cold, or was she just afraid? She considered asking Fred to go with her, not to work together. Just in case. But he was nowhere to be found. Daphne walked back towards Dead Mike's, the tiki themed bar she had previously visited. Shaggy and Scooby were looming near a claw machine having just said goodbye to Mary Jane.  
>"Shaggy! Scooby!" They turned to face her. Daphne knew that Shaggy and Scooby weren't exactly the most intelligent members of her old gang, but they did save her from the Luna Ghost. She decided that having them with her was better than having nobody at all. She waved them over desperately. When they got to the castle, Shaggy and Scooby were reluctant to help her. Daphne knew that they would help if a reward was on offer.<br>"Would you do it for a Scooby Snack?" Scooby Doo was the first one to take the bait, and she had him following her into the entrance. Shaggy watched, paralysed by fear. He considered it, outside by himself or inside an old creepy castle with his best pal and Daph. "You're not going to stay out here alone are you?" Daphne asked innocently.  
>"No thank-you!"<p>

Daphne pushed the heavy wooden door, revealing a broken down rollercoaster encased within the castle's stone walls. On each of the coaster carts was a spooky painted face. Within the castle was medieval themed furniture and armoured knight statues. Judging by the dust, cobwebs and lack of activity, the ride had been closed down for quite some time. The door shut behind the trio, causing them to jolt. They quickly regained composure and began to explore what looked like the entrance of the ride.  
>"This place is like uber creepy" stated Shaggy.<br>"Yeah, ruber creepy" echoed Scooby, adding in the letter R as he frequently did.  
>"The only thing missing is a mindless zombie." Suddenly the castle's main door swang wide open. Daphne jumped and then let out a sigh of relief when she discovered it was only Fred.<br>"Fred, get back. I found this place; I call dibs on its clues."  
>Fred walked over to her with a serious expression. "I've already found some clues."<br>Her face dropped "What?"  
>"I followed some weird footsteps up here" said Fred, showing signs of genuine concern "and it might be dangerous for you."<br>Again, Daphne was set on proving to Fred that she could save herself if she needed to. "If anyone messes with me, I'll just open a can of two thousand year old Chinese whoop-ass on 'em." As she spoke a skeleton figure approached from behind, it placed a bony hand on her shoulder causing her to jump again for the third time. Velma popped out from behind the skeleton puppet giggling at Daphne's reaction.  
>"Velma!" scolded Shaggy who had also been frightened.<br>"What are you doing here?" Fred asked amusedly.  
>"This ride was closed due to dangerous construction. It's the most likely place to hatch an insidious plan. And I wanted to scare the patootie out of Daphne" she chuckled. Daphne was not laughing, she swatted Velma away with her purse. Fred looked at Daphne, and decided that he wanted to look around with her just in case she got spooked again. He also decided that it would be the best time to reveal his feelings for her. His past feelings. And his present feelings. Fred Jones didn't dare admit it aloud but he was still smitten by Daphne. "Well, since we're all together, let's split up and look for more clues" he said, rubbing his hands together and looking at Daphne. She felt comfortable with Fred around, and knew that if he asked her to team up with him that she wouldn't object. "Daphne, you and I-"<br>"Typical" mumbled Velma.  
>"What?"<br>"Oh nothing" she said sadly "I was always picked last for the teams."  
>Daphne scowled again, she was so sick of Velma getting between her and Fred.<br>"Okay" agreed Fred, for arguments sake. "Daphne, exit through the entrance, Velma and I will enter here through the exit there. And Shaggy and Scooby… do whatever you guys do." They had been given the command to split and they all dispersed, hoping to find a clue of some sort.

Daphne followed the rollercoaster tracks to a boarded up wooden door. She stared at the door and instantly knew that there was something worthwhile hidden behind it. Curiously, she grabbed one of the wood pillars that was holding the door shut and pulled it off. It was definitely too heavy for someone as thin as Daphne, but she needed to prove herself as strong. She moaned as she took it down quickly dropping it on the floor and checking for splinters. "Oww…"  
>Meanwhile Fred and Velma were following similar tracks, a corridor with metal knights on either side. "Hey Velma, I never meant to, well you know, pick you last."<br>"Don't worry about it Fred, I know you. All you care about are swimsuit models."  
>Fred looked at her, offended that she had accused him of being so shallow.<br>"No! Look, I'm a man of substance. And dorky chicks like you turn me on too" he said playfully punching her shoulder. Velma, unimpressed, walked faster ahead of him.  
>"It's a compliment" muttered Fred, speeding up to her. The painting of the clown baby on the wall watched them, literally watched them. A dwarfed version of the tribal warriors had observed the two and was under instructions to destroy them. He headed to the switch panel, unbeknownst to the gang.<p>

"It was a compliment Velma" said Fred, catching up to her. She shrugged, "I know you're not just into swimsuit models." Fred smiled. "Unless of course, Daphne became a swimsuit model, then I stand corrected." The smile dropped off his face.  
>"Who said I was into Daph?" Velma rolled her eyes and adjusted her glasses. She shared a love hate relationship with Fred. Sometimes he could be really shallow, and although he often picked her last or stole her ideas she could not help but be ever so slightly in love with him. He had an ease about him, and he took control with everything he did. Velma thought, that in some alternate universe, she and Fred may have ended up together. Daphne was everything Velma was not, and while Velma valued her own intellect over Daphne's beauty, she couldn't help but feel jealous when she watched Fred and Daph together. "Some things go without saying Freddy, this is just one of those things."<br>"Velma, even if it were true, which it isn't, you wouldn't mention this to anyone would you?"  
>She smiled. "What are friends for?" And she meant it, Fred was her best friend, and at times her only friend. She had accepted that perhaps that's all her and Fred would ever be. He grinned gratefully, Velma Dinkley was his oldest friend and even though it seemed like he was forced to team up with her, he enjoyed her company. They laughed about old times as they walked through the castle, unable to hear the sounds of little footsteps over their reminiscing. <p>


	9. I'm Not Helpless, I'm Not Helpless

Daphne groaned loudly as she tried to push open the doors. She stood back from the door and revaluated her approach. She knew that she would require her newfound martial arts skills to bust down the door. She closed her eyes and used her arms to centre her focus. The dwarfed warrior had reached the switch panel and pushed up the master control lever. The castle active, and proceeded to take its occupants on a nightmarish ride. Daphne heard the sound of cackling laughter from behind her, giving her the proper motivation to complete her goal. Like the rest of the gang, she was unaware that the ride was in full swing. She successfully kicked in the door, and felt the need to celebrate her victory. Daphne cheered on and waved her hands in the air. "Yes! Yes! Oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-huh, oh yeah, oh yeah" she had danced her way around in a semi-circle now facing the rapidly approaching roller coaster cart. "Oh no!" The cart bowled Daphne over, taking her to its destination. She screamed fearfully as it took her though the doors.

"Jinkies! That didn't sound like Shaggy or Scooby!" Velma looked around the area she was in. Fred heard an eerie scream. Daphne was in trouble and Fred knew that as much as she said she didn't want his help, she needed it. He turned to head back the way they came from. "Fred it's not going to let you leave!"  
>"What isn't?"<br>"The ride" she said, pointing out the lights that had come on and were flashing. The armoured statues suddenly turned their heads to face Fred and Velma and began to swing their weaponry in an alternating fashion. "Watch out!" yelled Velma as she spied the cart that was approaching them. They knew that either they could dodge the axes or get cut into pieces, so if they wanted to survive they had to stay ahead of the cart. Fred and Velma ran quickly, narrowly avoiding the swinging axes.

In the other end of the castle Daphne clung to her cart, knowing that she couldn't get off. She was starting to feel very ill from the speed of the cart. It turned corners suddenly, nearly driving into dead ends or collapsed parts of the castle. She knew that she said she didn't want to be saved, but Daphne was sure that if someone intervened and saved her life she would not object to it. She closed her eyes tightly feeling like her world would still be black if she opened them.

Fred and Velma burst through yet again another door. It was a dead end. Velma observed that they were no longer being followed by the rampant cart. They ran towards the back of the room and even Velma didn't have time to calculate the next action. Twin pendulum blades with the cackling clowns attached to them swung down and crossed each other, just missing Fred's calves. They took some cautious steps back to discover there was no escape. "Jinkies! They're moving towards us!" They turned and raced to the next door, which was more boarded up than the one Daphne had earlier encountered. Fred and Velma still attempted to break through the door, but their efforts were in vain. On both the left and right of the door were bookcases, which turned a cog in Velma's mind.  
>"We're trapped" bellowed Fred.<br>"Quick! Try the bookcase!"  
>Fred was confused "What?"<br>"One of these has got to open a secret passageway!"  
>"Velma, this is a ride!" he yelled sternly as she ripped books from the shelf.<br>The pendulums were closing in on them. "You got a better plan Fred?" she replied frantically. He didn't. He began to tear books off the shelf knowing that Velma was almost always right.

Daphne's cart sped downhill, she now had her eyes wide open and was on the verge of tears. "I'm not helpless, I'm not helpless" she bleakly tried to convince herself. She judged the space between her and the wall, she could try to get off out the side but there wasn't enough space. She tried to climb over the back of the cart but was too frightened to let go. Daphne saw the wall ahead of her that contained stuck out swords that could easily pierce through her skin. "I am helpless! I'm gonna die!" she let out a yelp of fear as she plunged towards the swords in the wall. Her life did not flash before her eyes, but she knew that she wanted the last person she thought of to be Fred. His pearly white smile, his platinum blond hair, his body, his voice, him. She thought back to an earlier time when she was in love with Fried, which caused her to remember her encounter with him at the hotel an hour and a half ago. An hour and a half ago she was in love with Fred. Nothing had changed. She knew she still had strong feelings for Fred, and she was certain that she would die without telling him.

Fred and Velma were emptying the bookshelves like their lives depended on it. Which they kind of did. A book Fred was trying to yank free got stuck, and with some effort came loose but taking Fred with it. Stunned, Fred was right in the firing line of the pendulum blade. He stood there dumbstruck as the blade moved towards him and for a split second he had time to think. Her beautiful eyes, her cute laugh, her body, her voice, her. He wished that he could have one last moment with her, so he could get a long lasting secret off of his chest. "Fred!" screamed Velma, stopping Fred's train of thought. She tossed a heavy book to him and he shielded himself from the blade. The force of the pendulum sent him through the window, causing him to push down the castle's main lever and disabling the ride. 


	10. We're Here To Solve A Mystery

Daphne's cart zoomed towards the swords, fate seemed inevitable. Daphne screamed louder, but then the brakes on the cart activated stopping her just in time. She stared at the swords, mouth opened in shock. She scuttled to the back of the roller coaster, keeping her eyes on the silver blades which almost impaled her. When she got off, her legs felt like jelly. She tried to walk; she was like an unco-ordinated foal trying to take its first few steps. Her legs gave way as she hit the ground. Daphne had fainted.

The swinging blades had slowed right down as Velma approached the window Fred went flying through. Shards of glass covered the ground she was standing on. "Fred?" No response. "Freddy? Are you alright?" A small grunt came from behind the window pane as Fred appeared. He gave Velma the best smile he could muster, she had saved his life. She returned a grin and looked at the shelf Fred was emptying. "The last book" she noted, pulling it off its shelf. A secret door disguised as another bookcase opened. Fred brushed the glass out of his shirt as Velma followed the stairs of the secret passage. The room was filled with school desks and switch boards. The walls and floor were bland colours, and they noticed a television hanging from the ceiling. "Looks like some kind of school" pointed out Fred.  
>"Hmm… in a spooky castle ride? Fishy."<br>Fred switched on the televisions in front of him to discover that the whole ride was rigged with cameras. Velma flicked through the camera channels, hoping to see the rest of the gang… alive. They both burst out with laughter when they saw Scooby and Shaggy surrounded by food. "Typical Shaggy and Scooby behaviour" chuckled Velma. Fred worriedly took the remote, praying to find their missing member. There was no sign of her.

Daphne had regained consciousness and her footing, and decided that she was well enough to continue. She also found a secret passageway leading her to a windowed area. There were two gold circular doors concealing something on a pedestal. Daphne pulled the doors open, fully aware that she may have found something of grave importance. As she opened the doors the lights activated, spotlighting the pillar in the middle.

Fred fiddled with the knobs on the switchboard and then turned on the three televisions again. The words 'training video' appeared on the screen as a formally dressed woman appeared and continued to instruct whomever was watching about the proper "societal do's and don'ts", as in how to behave in a teenage social setting. Fred and Velma didn't notice the lights behind them go on, as Shaggy and Scooby explored the set that was used in the training video. "It seems to be a brainwashing facility of some type" concluded Velma. The dwarfed warrior, who was hiding under the desk, listened attentively as he crawled towards the exit. "Wherever there's a brainwashing cult" continued Velma "there's always a power hungry leader behind it. The Papa Smurf figure."  
>"Mondavarious" exclaimed Fred, catching on to Velma's theory.<br>"Hmm, then why would he have invited us here?" Velma questioned, puzzled.

Daphne had gained the courage to head towards the gold illuminated pillar. On top of the pedestal was a miniature gold pyramid. It certainly looked Egyptian, and it matched the rest of the room. Hieroglyphics covered the walls, and the little pyramid itself. Daphne cautiously jumped onto the platform, edging closer and closer to the gold pyramid. She slowly dragged her surprisingly still hand towards it, until it suddenly opened itself. She jumped again, truly caught unaware. Her eyes grew wide as she saw further hieroglyphics on the inside. The pyramid folded out like a four point star, with a rotational knob in the middle. Daphne eyed the pyramid and a daring smirk crossed her face. She knew that she needed this pyramid to help solve the mystery. No sooner had she plucked the pyramid from its pedestal had a similar shaped cage formed around her, beginning to enclose her in. She screamed again, knowing that if she didn't think fast she would be trapped again. She chose to leap through a gap, still squealing as she did so. Triumph! She had made it out of the cage. Still frightened by tonight's whole ordeal, she headed back out the double doors and prayed that she would run into one of her ex-gang members. She saw lights on downstairs and rounded the corner. Shaggy and Scooby Doo! Daphne decided to show them what she hand found and- wait, what was that stench? She crinkled her nose and longed for fresh air, disgusted, as she stood behind Shaggy who was in the middle of a fart-off with Scooby. Scooby had realised Daphne's presence long before Shaggy had, and urged him to stop. "I'm not stopping til your fur is singed off" Shaggy grinned goofily. He continued with a few loud blasts before realising who was behind him. He immediately stopped upon realization. Daphne scowled at them both, obviously cross. "We're here to solve a mystery!"  
>"Yeah Scoob!"<br>Scooby Doo glared at Shaggy accusingly. While the whole gang was distracted, the dwarfed warrior hit the alarm button, hoping to put an end to Mystery Inc.'s search.

An alarm sounded loudly, and in tune with it flashed an irritating red light. "Let's get out of here" decided Fred as he and Velma bolted out of the control room. In the room behind them, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby Doo were also sprinting to find an exit. Through the entrance rushed some of the tribal warriors and the skeleton Velma had surveyed, accompanied by the muscled masked wrestler Zarkos. They had heard the dwarfed warrior's alarm and were under strict instruction to stop anyone from interfering. Fred and Velma were running as quickly as their legs could carry them when out of a side alley came Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne. "Hey!" Fred and Velma turned around, glad to see the other three were safe. "I found a neat and scary clue!" continued Daphne proudly.  
>"Us too. We think this is a brainwashing facility for an evil cult."<br>"Well maybe this is a secret relic thingy they worship!" beamed Daphne. They all stared straight ahead and saw shadows that weren't their own advancing in their direction.  
>"We're all gonna be relics if we don't get out of here man!" panicked Shaggy. Fred turned to see the costumed statues that stood on the side. There were two knights, a dragon knight, a wizard and a medieval princess.<br>"I got a plan."


	11. The Metaphor Included

The evil men strode in from either side, disappointed they didn't trap Mystery Inc. in the middle. "Peew, what's that smell?" questioned Zarkos. One of that statue knights stood straighter, lucky not to be caught moving. Shaggy was in that knight costume, Fred was in the other. Velma sat as the orange robed wizard at the left end, Daphne as the pretty in pink princess to the right end near Fred. Scooby Doo was concealed within the dragon knight armour.  
>"Sir, they found the Daemon Ritus." Zarkos was fuming. He lifted the dwarfed warrior to his level, breathing spit on his face.<br>"For your sake they better not have gone far!" growled Zarkos.  
>Daphne and Velma exchanged glances, sharing a common thought. The Daemon Ritus must have been the golden pyramid Daphne had bravely taken.<br>"It is time to summon the big muchachos" declared Zarkos. Storming off, the gang let themselves fall out of character.  
>"Like oh no!" groaned Shaggy, letting another one rip. The sound vibrated within the armour and caused a small explosion within the wizard's cauldron. Scooby Doo laughed as he, Shaggy and Fred got out of their armour.<p>

Daphne watched Fred emerge from the armour, realising the metaphor included. He was her knight in shining armour. He saw her watching him and threw her his most alluring smile. Velma and Daphne began to change out of their outfits. Fred kept his eyes locked on Daphne. She was his princess, his fair maiden and so desperately wanted to be her prince. She turned around and returned a smile while Scooby had ran ahead and found a staff entrance door. The gang cheerfully ran to the door, laughing about the danger they had faced. Daphne and Velma finished dumping their costumes to the side. Velma, Shaggy and Scooby ran ahead as Daphne waited for Fred to shut the door behind them. Fred caught up to Daphne and took her hand, squeezing hers slightly causing her whole body to pulse. She did the same back, and caused the exact same feeling in his body. The gang was tired from running so they slumped down in the golden sand on the beach. Daphne laid her head on Fred's shoulder, tired from the sprint. Shaggy and Scooby had gone to look for food, and Velma had followed them to make sure they weren't seen by Zarkos or N'goo Tauna, the shaven man she met at the Spookapalooza tribal dance.

Fred stroked Daphne's hair, and she hugged him tightly. She told him all about the cart, and how she nearly was stabbed to the wall. She then explained how she found the room with the gold pedestal and the Daemon Ritus, and the cage that nearly encased her.  
>"You were right Daph" he laughed, "You did save yourself."<br>"I guess I did, didn't I?" she said proudly.  
>Their eyes met and neither one of them wanted to break the stare. The moon was a brilliant white, reflecting on the eternal blue ocean. The stars were like a thousand candles flickering in the big black sky. Fred placed his hand under Daphne's chin and lifted her lips towards his. Her eyes sparkled like glass in the sun. They both closed their eyes and knew that they had waited what had seemed an eternity for this moment.<br>"Like all you can eat needs to be on at all hours of the day man" Shaggy complained.  
>Fred and Daphne quickly parted, both equally disappointed that their moment had been interrupted. He placed his hand over hers and they both knew that's all they could do for now. Daphne didn't want the gang to find out, not until she was certain that they could be together. Velma patted Shaggy on the back. "Don't worry Shaggy, there's always breakfast." His face lit up and he and Scooby proceeded to fantasize about a buffet breakfast.<br>"Let's locate Mr. Mondavarious and inform him of our findings" announced Velma. They all were happy to do so. Daphne jogged up next to Velma, discussing the golden pyramid she had found. Velma was impressed, Daphne had played an important part in their search. Shaggy walked with Fred and told him about what happened to him and Scooby Doo when the castle was active. They were wrangled to the wall by killer sausages, which turned out to be plastic. They tried to eat their way through it but it didn't work. "Reminds me of the time when we tried to eat that guy in the hot dog costume" laughed Shaggy. They gleefully entered the hotel lobby, "Mystery Inc. you all seem rather cheery. Good news I hope?"

Fred immediately took charge. "Mr. Mononucleosis?"  
>Mr. Mondavarious rolled his eyes at Fred's mispronunciation, but decided not to correct him. "Yes?"<br>"We have hit a clue smorgasbord" Fred said, proudly pointing at the golden pyramid in Velma's hands. Daphne chimed in. "We have three suspects as to who's behind this evil hoody." Velma had one suspect in her intellectual mind. "N'goo Tauna, he believes your theme park's been built on enchanted ground."  
>Daphne had her own suspicions. "The Voodoo Man, who shrewdly tricked me into going to the castle."<br>Fred pointed an accusing finger at Mr. Mondavarious. "And you."  
>"Me?"<br>"Alright gang" commanded Fred, ignoring Mr. Mondavarious's shock "let's split up. We'll meet back here in a half out. I'll interview employees to see if they've noticed anything odd."  
>Velma examined the pyramid and knew that she would have to figure out its meaning. "I'm gonna get to work translating these inscriptions that Daphne found." Daphne knew that her and Velma would have to put their heads together. "I'll go research cults on the net." They high-fived and went their own ways. Fred's eyes followed Daphne, longing for some alone time with her. "I'm a suspect?" questioned Mr, Mondavarious.<br>"Don't take it personally. It's mostly just because you creep me out" reassured the blonde leader.  
>"Oh I see. Oh" sighed a relieved Mr. Mondavarious. "Fine." And with that, Fred also left. His mind alternated between the mystery and Daphne, and suddenly Fred felt like the biggest mystery would be whether or not he would ever win the girl.<p> 


	12. You're Just Too Good To Be True

**Well it certainly has been a while, super sorry for not continuing! **** This next chapter includes a scene they deleted from the movie, but is still viewable on the DVD. The commentators call it and ode to Fred and Daphne. Too cute! Enjoy!**

Daphne was beginning to feel like she hadn't blinked for eternity, her laptop's screen glowing as she finished her unsuccessful search for cults associated with the Daemon Ritus. She chewed her lip, knowing that she'd have to go back to the group with no accomplishment. The headache inducing brightness of her computer disappeared as it ran out of battery. Sighing, Daphne decided that it was best to explain to the group that it indeed was a new mystery.

Daphne headed down the stairs towards the community bar, and saw a familiar orange sweater. Velma was sitting with a stranger, laughing about something only the two of them seemed to find funny. Behind her was the Daemon Ritus, which had opened like it had in the gold pyramid cage. Velma had stopped laughing abruptly as she saw Daphne enter, and then she shifted her view to the other stairwell. Daphne looked too and saw that almost simultaneously; Fred had entered the bar too. Velma left her newly met companion at the bar and staggered over to the piano where N'Goo Tauna was playing lounge music. Both Fred and Daphne watched on with a mix of amusement and confusion as the music changed.

Velma slid across the piano and began to sing Frankie Valli's love classic 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'. Daphne walked down the stairs in awe of Velma's sudden musical courage. She saw a recognizable white shirt out of the corner of her eye and saw it was Fred. Fred, still unaware that Daphne was present, confusedly walked towards the piano. He saw Shaggy and Mary Jane sitting in a booth in the corner, and saw that Daphne was there enjoying the show. Fred realised what was going on here. Velma was drunk and making a public declaration of his feelings for Daphne on his behalf. He stood behind Daphne as she gave him a quick but loving glance as they both observed Velma's intoxicated impromptu karaoke performance. Vela sand the lyrics 'you're just too good to be true', and pointed quite obviously to Fred. Daphne gave Fred a bemused look, waiting for an explanation, but all he could offer was a perplexed and uncomfortable look.

Daphne assumed that it was a love ballad dedicated to Fred, but decided not to cause a scene. Fred already had told her that there was nothing going on with him and Velma and Freddy wouldn't lie to anyone. But as she looked between the two of them, she couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy. The crowd cheered as Velma sang, in tune, to the chorus. As she ended the song, she finally realised that Fred and Daphne were meant to be, they always were. She disappointedly sang 'you're just too good to be true' as the spectators began to applaud her. Suddenly Scooby Doo came crashing through the people, howling "Ronsters! Ronsters!" and finally buried himself under a coffee table as if they were looking for him. Fred rolled his eyes; Scooby Doo was so easily spooked. It was probably just another run in with the man in the bunny costume that had scared Scooby last night. He decided he needed to show his leader skills, leaving Daphne's side to handle the situation. Fred paced around the table, frowning at Scooby's cowardice. "How many times do I have to tell you there are no such things as ghouls, ghosts, goblins or monsters." The people observing were clearly unsettled by the spectacle so Fred stood on the coffee table to deliver some reassurance. "Now listen up. There is absolutely" he continued with emphasis, "ABSOLUTELY, no such thing as…" Suddenly a grotesque purple creature jumped through the window behind Fred and let out a threatening roar. "MONSTERS!" cried Fred as he decided that he had changed his mind on the matter. He sprinted fast, dodging people who were deserting the lobby like a sinking ship. The purple creature jumped up behind Fred and he fell to the ground. "Fred!" Daphne's eyes grew wide in shock as she saw that he was about to be captured. The monster lifted him by his left leg off the ground up to the creature's face. "Scooby!" yelled Fred. The creature suddenly blew a cloud of green smoke in Fred's face, absorbing the life out of him. "…save Daphne" Fred finished, before going completely limp. The creature then jumped out the window from which it came, with Fred's lifeless body in hand.****


	13. Now It's Our Turn Shaggy

Daphne felt painful tears sting her eyes as she saw the monster exit. What were those things? What did they do to her Fred? Was he dead? She shook the thoughts out of her head and returned to reality, witnessing the chaos around her. Velma and her companion were now also lifeless and captive, and Shaggy, Scooby and Mary Jane were nowhere to be seen. Daphne decided that she needed to leave immediately to avoid capture herself and find a way to get them all back. As she hurried up the stairs she spied the Daemon Ritus unattended on the bench. She leapt onto the polished bar, and her eyes met with those of N'Goo Tauna. They both raced for the important gold pyramid, with Daphne placing both hands on it. She poked her tongue out at N'Goo and watched as the crowds of people took him in the opposite direction. She stashed the Daemon Ritus in her purple handbag and continued for the stairs. She saw Mr. Mondavarious standing absentmindedly in the middle of the steps and decided it was time to prove she could be useful. "Stand back sir, I'll protect you" she said, preparing herself for martial art combat. However a purple arm came up from the floorboards and took Mr. Mondavarious with it, and then proceeded to grab for her. She squealed and hit the hand with her purse, then saw Shaggy and Mary Jane appear from behind the bar.

She was relieved to see them both, but noticed they were missing someone as Shaggy yelled out "Scooby Doo! Where are you?" The three of them weaved through corridors and doorways when they were suddenly bowled over by a luggage trolley. To their relief it was Scooby who was pushing the trolley, but to their sudden panic, he was steering them straight to a dead end. With two of the monsters in tow they went through the glass window. Luckily the shade cloth broke their fall as they bounced the ground and escaped from the monsters. They hid in a nearby carnival stall in four conveniently sized vases and waited for the creatures to pass. "We need to follow them" decided Daphne. Shaggy looked at her dumbstruck "Say what?"  
>"So we can defeat the creatures and save Fred and Velma!" urged Daphne.<br>Shaggy disagreed. They were quick to leave behind him and Scoob, and made him look like an idiot at the airport when they walked away. "Well that's sort of like my plan, which is get the heck out of here and let the creatures eat Fred and Velma!"  
>Daphne looked shocked, but remained determined "No way. Fred and Velma always figured out everything, now it's our turn Shaggy." She discovered the irony of the situation and grinned like a madman. "For the first time: they're the damsels in distress. Not me." As she finished her sentence, her giant vase tipped over. She couldn't just have her moment. Sighing, she got up and led the group to the monsters hideout. With no way in, Mary Jane decided to call the coastguard and the four of them had no choice but to wait on the beach right near the entry pier for help to come to them.<p>

Morning had come and the four of them had dozed off on the pearly white sand. The coastguard obviously didn't make it. Daphne was the first to wake; her pleasant dream about her reunion with Fred was cut short by a sudden bump to her head. A volleyball rolled away inches from her face as she sat up and faced the hotel. Her face hardened in horror as she scanned the hotel. "Something messed up is happening" she exclaimed aloud, waking the others. They shared her expression when they turned and saw the hotel in pristine condition. "Like what happened to the shattered windows and the busted walls?" questioned Shaggy. They all got up and headed out to the Spooky Island hotel's pool. Daphne declared that it was best to split up; they'd cover more ground and find Fred and Velma quicker. They went their separate ways, and Daphne headed towards the band that was playing. As the lead singer serenaded her, she noticed a strange green glint in his eyes that was the same colour as the monsters breathed. She realised it was very unlikely, but her mind screamed out the idea that perhaps they were possessed. She hurried away and tried to think of where to look. Suddenly she saw a girl with short brown hair dressed in orange, and thinking it was Velma she followed her to the women's locker room. When she arrived, she discovered it was purely coincidental. So she exited the locker room to continue her search when she was ambushed by Zarkos. "Aha! Damsel in distress" he smirked, grabbing her in a wrestling hold. "Let go of me! Help!" Daphne screamed as he took the Daemon Ritus. He then picked her up and carried her away before anybody could notice. 


	14. I'll Figure A Way Out Myself

**Again, this section has another deleted scene where they steal, in her words, Daphne's spirit thingy. Also there will be some justification as to why Fred and Daph start bickering once they switch bodies. On with the story! ******

Daphne knew that her whole 'save the day' plan had backfired, and indeed she was now the damsel in distress again. At least Fred wasn't around to see this, she thought bitterly. Or around to save her. She hated that she allowed herself to get caught again, and she hated the dark cavern they had taken her too. It was ominous as it was only lit by a green light coming from the cracks in the cavern below her. In the middle was a spiked cauldron filled with a swimming bluish white light. "You snuck up on me you jerk, let me out!" she said, trying not to show her fear. Zarkos didn't say a word as he sat in his control panel, lifting the arm of the unknown contraption towards her. The end of it was like a claw from the playing machine Shaggy was using last night, with a bright light in the middle. "This can't be good." She saw the machine arm coming closer to her. "No, no no no no no, NO!" she screamed as it plunged towards her and she felt it consume her body.

It was the strangest experience; Daphne was now looking at her own lifeless body and was floating in the grasp of the machine. She gasped, and then realised she could still talk. Surely Velma would have an explanation for all of this. "Hey, put back my spirit thingy!" she said crossly. "That is so uncool. And you're messing up my hair!" Zarkos smirked, yet remained silent as he moved the arm towards the lit cauldron. She was about to be dumped into the vat when she realised that it was full of other peoples spirits. "You're a jerk. Capital J-E…" the arm released her and she fell into the cauldron. "Erk" she bubbled as she drowned beneath a sea of souls.

She swam around as best as she could, the vat's current pushed her in a circular motion. She saw Velma and Fred's spirits and thankfully was able to reach them. "Fred! Velma! You're not dead! They just took your spirit thingys." Velma's face scowled. "Daphne, we're protoplasmic heads, and if my calculations are correct, we will remain protoplasmic heads until we are released from this cauldron." Daphne glared at Velma. "Damn it, I told Scooby to save you" said Fred irately, "I knew you couldn't save yourself."  
>"It's not Scooby's fault, I could take care of myself!"<br>"Yeah, obviously" Fred said sarcastically.  
>Daphne was furious, if she had a foot to stomp she would. "Well I certainly lasted longer than you did Fred-"<br>"But you still got caught" corrected Velma and Fred at the same time.  
>Daphne had no retaliation, nor any words to say to either of them. Instead she turned around and sped off with the current, not even saying goodbye.<p>

Fred was angry, at Scooby and at himself. He knew that Scooby would stuff up somehow, so he should have expected it. And of course, Fred had hurt Daph's feelings again. Velma had disappeared and he was certain that Daphne was avoiding him. Suddenly a hand reached in and pulled Fred out of the soul cauldron. A man in a green shirt stood there with Fred in hand. "Hey buddy!"  
>"Shaggy! Listen man, someone must have spiked my root beer last night, talk me down man, talk me down."<br>"Fred" interjected Shaggy "you're a friggin' protoplasmic head."  
>Fred winced. "I know. But I'm still the best looking protoplasmic head here, I mean-"<br>Shaggy threw him up and hit him like a volleyball, sending him swirling out of the dark caverns and back to civilisation. From what Velma told him, he needed to find his body and realign with it. As he was whizzing through the air, his thoughts crossed to Daphne and he was hoping that she had found her body. He got to the main lobby and saw his body, excitedly he raced towards it. "I'm coming good looking!" But he was too late, 'Fred' closed the door sending him spiralling away.

She wandered aimlessly through the crowd of protoplasmic heads, and not once did she see Fred or Velma, not that she cared. A hand reached in and grabbed a man head floating next to her, and as she floated near the surface she saw Shaggy reach in and grab her out. "Put me back Shaggy, I'll figure a way out myself" she said stubbornly.  
>"Like how?"<br>She realised how petulant she sounded, but continued anyway, "I don't know… I'll use my tongue as an oar and swim to the edge."  
>"Sorry" Shaggy said as he released her into the cavern.<p>

A protoplasmic head had reached Daphne's body, and Velma destroyed the purple monster that crawled out by exposing the creature to sunlight. The one weakness they appeared to have. 'Daphne' began to examine herself, with Velma watching with concern. "Daphne, you okay?"  
>A man's voice came out of Daphne's mouth "Yeah. But I'm not Daphne!"<br>"Fred?" Velma said, stunned.

Fred's body finally opened the door and Daphne's protoplasmic head was still floating by, she knew that she was going to align with Fred's body, and she had no choice. "Eww" she whined, as she entered the body of Fred Jones and fell backwards on the cold floor. 


	15. One Step Closer

Velma had never seen anything like it. Fred was in Daphne's body. "Jinkies! This sure is fascinating" she said to Fred as they walked back to the main lobby. She shook her head as once again Fred was using his situation to his advantage, peering down Daphne's dress. "Freddy!" He stopped and looked at Velma. "Velms, let's say that I like Daph, well, hypothetically-"  
>"You do Fred" she said matter-of-factly.<br>"Hypothetically" he insisted. "Anyway, do you think it would work out?"  
>Velma furrowed her brow. "Fred I think we have slightly larger matters at hand."<br>"Right. Like the monsters taking over and things like that."  
>They were shortcutting through the forest when they heard a familiar groan come from through the trees near them. Fred was storming over to them, swatting away insects with Daphne's purse. 'Fred' saw Velma and Daphne and headed towards them.<br>"Get your hands off me!" demanded Daphne's voice out of Fred's mouth.  
>"Daphne?" Velma was once again surprised.<br>Daphne pointed her purse accusingly at her own body. "He planned this somehow, didn't he?"  
>Fred paced around his body, admiring himself "hey good looking."<br>Daphne, still fuming from before, was not in the mood to tolerate Fred's shallowness. "Fred, you ego-centric-"  
>Shaggy came clambering towards them. "Please tell me you guys are you…"<br>"Fred keeps touching me" whined Daphne.  
>Shaggy produced the familiar gold pyramid and put it on a rock in the centre of them.<br>"The Daemon Ritus" exclaimed Velma, surprised that shaggy managed to swindle it.  
>After some soul switching, the proper protoplasm's of the Mystery Inc. gang realigned with the appropriate body. An explosion on the beach caught their attention and they decided that it was time to start solving this mystery again. Fred bashfully gave Daphne her purse back. She took it silently, obviously still snubbing him.<p>

When they reached the clearing, Daphne recognized the man near the fire. The voodoo man whom she interrogated about the island and the Spooky Island castle. "Wait!" she said seriously, "I know how to handle this guy." They looked at her for further explanation. "Hey you, what are you doing?" Daphne called out nonchalantly. Fred watched her walk up to the man in a state of confusion. "Yes, that is masterful" murmured Velma. The voodoo man explained he was trying to protect himself from the Darkopolypse ritual. Velma gasped and brought out the Daemon Ritus "That's what the ancient text describes!" The rest of the gang listened in fear as she explained that they use the protoplasm in the vat as an energy source, and the leader needs to absorb a purely good soul to complete the ritual. "Those creatures are taking over the world?" said Daphne in alarm "that is so mean."  
>Fred felt a sense of relief when he heard the last bit of Velma's explanation, "Now they can't do the ritual without a pure human soul. Where in the world are they gonna get one of those?"<br>Velma looked bleak. "I didn't say human."

Shaggy was the last to catch on. "Oh boy…" He suddenly realised they were going to absorb Scooby's protoplasm. He explained his fight with Scooby Doo to the rest of the gang, feeling worse and worse as he finished. Scooby Doo had gone crazy, accusing Mary Jane of being a man in a mask like the monsters. Then they went to fight and Scooby fell down a trap hole. Shaggy followed but found the vat instead of his chum. Velma listened to the story and then suddenly drew up a conclusion. "So if the person behind all this needs Scooby Doo…"  
>"Then that person is the one who brought Scooby here!" said Daphne, catching on to Velma's theory.<br>"If Mondarajagaga wanted Scooby, why'd he invite the rest of us?" queried Fred, again mispronouncing his name. Daphne looked at Fred fearfully, what if it was the end of the world? Shaggy was insistent on saving Scooby Doo, but Fred stopped him "Shag, our area of expertise is nut-jobs in Halloween costumes."  
>"We're supposed to be heroes man."<br>The group didn't argue with him, and just as Shaggy decided that he would save Scooby, Fred wondered if this would be the reformation of Mystery Inc. He wanted so badly to have his comrades by his side again, especially Daphne. He felt so lost without her in his life, and he wasn't going to let her go again. "Velmster?"  
>Velma shot Fred a look "Oh you think I'm gonna fall for that? Giving me my own nickname? Trying to make me feel like…" her eyes were filling with tears "part of the gang." She smiled and knew that they needed to save Scooby Doo, and perhaps save the world. "We could make a plan."<br>Daphne looked sadly at the ground, realising her lack of importance as a member of the gang. "What can I do? The only thing I'm good for is getting caught." Fred knew that he caused these feelings of doubts in her mind. "But you never let that stop you before, and if that's not a true hero, then I don't know what is." She lifted her gaze and gave Fred a heart-warming smile. He smiled back and felt like he was one step closer to achieving his personal goal. They all put their hands in, threw them up in the air and raced back to the lobby to conjure up a plan on how to save the day, Mystery Inc. style. 


End file.
